07 May 2010

MISSION: Seussical! (And an injury.)

Happy Friday, everyone! Secret Agent L here. I had an exciting experience during yesterday's mission, so exciting that it caused me to almost lose a finger! But before I go into those details, let me tell you a bit about how I came to do this mission.

I received an email from the children's theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Playhouse Jr. They recently teamed up with none other than my favorite donut place, Dunkin Donuts, to promote their upcoming production: Seussical. The kind people at Playhouse Jr. asked me if I'd be willing to help spread the word about their show, to which I eagerly responded, "YES!" I was given vouchers for free tickets to Seussical, as well as some coupons for free iced coffees at Dunkin Donuts. What a perfect match: a fun theatre experience for kids and their families, and a shot of a cool, refreshing caffeinated beverage for the busy parents!

Seussical opens TONIGHT, so I'd like to wish the entire cast and crew a good show! How wonderful to share the gift of theatre with children! You can go here to view photos from the production. Just click on the Seussical image. I don't know about you, but I think it looks like So Much Fun! And since Secret Agent Boyfriend and I are actors, we're totally going to check it out!

With the help of Number Two, we thought about places to leave these vouchers for FOUR FREE TICKETS. Number Two suggested the children's section of the Carnegie Library. Brilliant!

I made my way there after work yesterday, and I even got rock-star parking right by the library! But that's where my luck started and stopped. I parked right next to the auto-pay machine, pulled out my debit card (this secret agent never carries cash), and proceeded to insert it in the slot in the machine. I followed the directions precisely, only to have absolutely no result.

So, I tried again, only this time turning my card a different way, thinking I hadn't inserted it correctly the first time. (Can't they make those card readers more user friendly? Sheesh!) And, sure enough, no luck.

I tried again. And again. Six times. By the last time, I was so frustrated, that I moved the card too quickly and proceeded to slice my thumb on the metal edge of the card reader. And what should happen?

Blood. Everywhere.

It was running down my hand, it was getting all over my debit card, and it was making things a bit, um, sticky. I didn't have a tissue or a Band-Aid with me, so I tried so carefully to reach into my purse and pull out a piece of paper on which to write, "Card reader does not work," and slip it into the reader. Only it ended up with blood all over it. But I put it in the reader anyway. I wanted people to see how much I suffered!

I proceeded to get into my car, grab a tissue from my glove box, and wrap my finger tightly to help slow the bleeding. I also managed to write a frustrated note about my experience and put it on my dashboard. Finally, I managed to find an old (and I do mean old) Band-Aid in the bottom of my cosmetics bag. I banaged up my thumb and headed towards the library's entrance.

I. Was. Determined.

I knew I had to get into that library, into the children's section, to share not only kindness, but also the gift of theatre!

So, armed with my goodies, I headed towards the building.

It was a beautiful day yesterday, wasn't it? I didn't know how many little kids would be spending time in the library, but I figured it was a good place to leave my treats.

I headed towards the children's section, looking totally natural, despite not having a little darling on my arm.

And who should greet me as I approached my destination?

With a smile on my face, I walked through the doors and into a world of fun and delight.

I instantly spotted this comfy looking couch and took a seat, so as to sort myself out prior to my "drops". Once I organized myself, I left the first treat on the seat.

And then I spotted some computers! (I know! Technology AND free theatre tickets!)

So I left a little treat there, too.

Finally, as I was leaving, I decided that the huge globe at the entry would be a perfect place to leave my third gift. I hope that whoever finds it knows that our world is filled with goodness.

3 comments:

Sorry about the bloodshed! I think this might be my favorite mission to date, but I could be partial. ;) It is absolutely my favorite show EVER, and if I could travel around being a scenic artist just for this show, I would be a happy girl. What a great gift to find! I know those lucky kids are going to have the most amazing time!

Wow. That was made of pure awesome and win. Thanks for taking the time to think about the kids who might be using the library! I missed the whole thing b/c I work up in the "grownup" section, but believe me, the staff are definitely talking about this today, and feeling even smilier than usual.